“How long did you call them?”
“I can’t say exactly. I called and called at frequent intervals, right up to the time I went back to the office. When I reached my desk, it was exactly one o’clock.”
“Can you prove you were calling all that time?”
“I’m afraid I can’t. I didn’t get a single answer. If I could find any other operator who heard me, I might be able to. But I don’t believe there’s much chance that I could find such a person.”
“Why not? There are lots of operators talking and listening in all the time.”
“Certainly. But mostly they use longer wave-lengths than I did. You know we amateur operators are limited to a low wave-length. There are hundreds of operators, no doubt, who were near enough to have heard me, but mostly they work in longer wave-lengths.”
The detective frowned. “You don’t seem very eager to find out,” he said.
“On the contrary, I’d give anything I own to find another operator who had a complete record of my calls. But I realize that probably no such record exists, either on paper or in some operator’s memory. You would hardly expect anybody to listen for three-quarters of an hour to a strange call or to make a note of hearing such a call. But just the same I’m going to begin a search for an operator who did hear me. I’ll get a list of stations within talking distance, and I’ll comb that list until I find somebody who heard my call. But it will be a big job and it will take me a long time. You know I can’t work very late in the evening, for I have to leave the building when it closes for the night.”
“Very well,” said the Secret Service man. “I advise you to make every effort you can. We have no proof whatever that you were in the wireless room at all during the noon hour. There is only your word for it.”
Poor Willie! The further matters went, the worse it seemed for him. He didn’t know where to turn for help or counsel. Roy’s ship had sailed during the forenoon, taking the purser and Roy with it. They were the only people in all this great city that Willie felt were really his friends. He didn’t know how they could help him, even if he could see them. But it would at least relieve his mind if he could talk the matter over with some one who was friendly. Then Willie thought of Reynolds, of the Morro Castle. He knew that he had sailed away two or three hours behind Roy, so he couldn’t talk with him. The only other person Willie could think of who might have a friendly interest in him was Sheridan. At the thought of Sheridan, Willie felt heartened. He would see the big Secret Service man at the first opportunity. Also he would get the list of radio stations and begin immediately to search for an operator who had heard his calls. And he would do some detective work on his own account. If ever there was occasion for him to make use of what detective powers he had, now was the time. The stake was the biggest he could ever work for. It was his own reputation.